Choosing the perfect sized furnace heater for your home is an important investment. Your qualified heating contractor should help you make your choice of the correct furnace size. You don’t want one that is too small because it will be constantly flowing to maintain warmth. A furnace that is too big will cycle on and off frequently, which wears down its components faster, unnecessarily wastes energy, and costs more in the end.  The following factors help determine the optimal furnace size:

• House design
• Size
• Construction
• Climate

Calculate the Right Furnace Size

Proper furnace size should be based on energy-loss calculations. The heating capacity of a furnace is measured in thousands of BTU (British Thermal Units). Your contractor will come up with the exact BTU equations by multiplying the input BTU by the efficiency percentage. For example a 100,000 BTU furnace at 80% efficiency will produce 80,000 BTU, but if that same furnace is only at 95% efficiency it will produce 95,000 BTU of heat output.

Evolution of Furnace Types

Furnaces have evolved quite a bit in the last decade. The most modern furnaces burn less fuel than the ones from the past. Some have heat pumps that wring heat from the bottom of the floor to the ceiling and vice versa in the summer when acting like an air conditioner. These types of furnaces are most common in the Southern states, while oil furnaces are typically found in older homes in the Northeast. The most common type of heater is the modern central-heating system gas furnace.

Even in sunny San Diego, we crave additional heating in our homes during the winter months, despite the common misconception that Southern California is a tropical paradise throughout the year. When slippers and scarves are not enough to keep you cozy while preparing for the hectic holiday season, it is time to turn the knob on those space heaters or crank up the thermostat of your heating system.

Whether you have a heating system installed in your home or you rely on small space heaters or a fireplace to stay warm, safety is key when heating your home. Perhaps not surprisingly, space heaters account for most injuries and deaths when it comes to heating-related fires, while fires originating in poorly cleaned or maintained chimneys are the most common, but the least deadly type of heating hazards. According to these findings, discovered and reported by the National Fire Protection Association, every year there are hundreds of deaths resulting from fires originating in heating equipment, and injuries are in the thousands. A staggering 70% of heating fire deaths are directly caused by space heaters.

Based on these statistics, the best home heating safety advice is then to invest in a heating system instead of relying on space heaters. There are many options to choose from, including central heating, wall and floor heaters and heat pumps. Unfortunately, not everyone has the means to consider a heating system installation, and space heaters remain a popular heating option. It is therefore essential to be reminded of proper home heating safety guidelines.

The following is a good check-list for how to stay to safe and avoid ending up in the home heating fire statistics. Protecting your family as well as your property is a number one priority for most, no matter what your preferred home heating option.

Home Heating Systems

• Inspection of the heating system. Before turning up the heat, make sure you contact your home heating technician for a complete safety inspection of the heating system. An annual check-up is recommended by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. A basic furnace tune-up is good place to start if you have a furnace in your home.

Fireplace Heating

• Similarly, fireplaces and chimneys need annual inspections. It is vital to check chimneys and flues for leakage and blockage by creosote or debris.
• Prior to using and when a fire is on, open fireplace damper and keep it open until ashes are cold.
• Store ashes outdoors in a fire resistant container.

Space Heater Safety

• If you are purchasing a new space heater, choose a reliable model and check recall lists for safety recalls. Look for national certification by a testing laboratory.
• While using a space heater, make sure it is located on a hard surface (do not place on carpet) and a safe distance away from anything flammable, such as paper waste or bedding (three feet is a good rule of thumb.)
• Like with candles or fires, a space heater should not be left alone when you leave the room or go to sleep.

Essential Fire Prevention Tips

Regardless of the type of heating system used, never forget to:

• Install battery-operated smoke and carbon monoxide detection alarms. Smoke alarms should be located inside bedrooms and on each level of the home, while CO alarms are best placed right outside bedrooms and any other sleeping areas.
• Know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning: dizziness, headache, feeling of weakness, vomiting or nausea, chest pain, and confusion. CO is especially dangerous because it is odorless and colorless and 500 deaths in the U.S. each year are a result of carbon monoxide poisoning.

We are often taken by surprise by how fast the temperature drops after the summer is over, and when it’s time to pay a visit to the basement and check on the old furnace, you may find that you need a heating system repair. Fortunately, for most simple problems there are easy do-it-yourself steps you can take to make sure your home heating system is running and you are nice and cozy during the pumpkin season and beyond.

1. SIMPLE FURNACE TUNE-UP FOR PROPER HEATING SYSTEM OPERATION

We don’t need to know all the intricacies behind our home HVAC systems, but we do want them operating smoothly. The following check list is a good starting point for ensuring that your furnace is safe to turn on, and will not require extensive technical home heater repair knowledge. Some of us may need more detailed directions on performing a thorough furnace tune-up for heating systems, but this is a good place to start:

• Make sure the thermostat controlling your heating system is functioning properly
• Locate the filter in your furnace and make sure it’s clean. If it appears clogged or dirty, change the filter.
• Go through electrical components in the furnace and make sure they are operational
• If needed, oil the motors inside your furnace. (play it safe! Make sure to consult an expert if you are not comfortable performing these tasks.)
• Find the heat exchanger in the furnace and search closely for cracks to ensure no carbon monoxide will leak through.
• Make sure air flow is not diminished (if it is, the evaporator coil may need to be cleaned)

2. COMMON SENSE TIPS TO KEEP THE HEAT COMING

Minimize fire hazards: The possible dangers with operating a furnace include fires and unwanted emission of carbon monoxide into your home. While it is not likely that a properly functioning heating system will be the source of a fire, we sometimes forget simple common sense steps that can be taken to minimize safety risks. Furnaces are usually located where we store things, including equipment like lawn mowers that have gas inside, even gas canisters, so remove any items that may pose an explosion or fire hazard from contact with the furnace.

Be wise about time: It is just human nature to leave things for the last minute – we all do it now and again (at least with taxes). To avoid freezing your toes when the first really cool morning comes along, complete the above steps when it’s still sunny out and the trees have leaves to avoid extensive heating system repairs. That way, if you do find out that there is a problem with your furnace that you can’t solve yourself, you will have time to research reliable, professional home heating repairs technicians in your area to fix your heating system.

3. WHEN IT’S TIME TO CALL A HEATING SYSTEMS REPAIR PROFESSIONAL

If you are experiencing problems with your furnace, or if you are too busy to perform the annual tune-up, it may be necessary to call in a home heating professional. If you don’t know a reputable heating system repairs company, you want to do some research to be sure of the following: the company is reliable, guarantees timely service of home heating repairs to work around your busy schedule, has certified trained heating repairs technicians and has positive customer reviews on online review sites concerning heating repairs services they have performed. If a company has lots of positive reviews, it is a good indication that you are dealing with an established and trusted home heating repair service company.